Monday, April 30, 2012

Meal Plan Monday

Today I melted the plastic handle of a pot while cooking with two burners on my stove.  Nothing like the smell of acrid evil to brighten up dinner prep!

Monday- Eggplant with Indian spices.  Over macaroni.  Because I started too late to make brown rice, and I was out of white rice.  Don't judge me!

Tuesday- Youth group night.  Baked potato bar.  Carrots.  Something dessert-related, maybe?  Cookies?  Jelly beans?

Wednesday- Black Bean Cassoulet.  (This recipe is from a 1970's potluck cookbook.  It's kind of hilarious..... "Originally from France, where it's made with white beans and duck, cassoulet travels to the American Southwest! Now it boasts black beans, pork, and bold seasonings!"  So, basically, this has nothing to do with cassoulet?  Except it's a casserole?  And they've both got beans.  Ok, deal.)

Thursday- Hamburgers on the grill.  Salad.  So cliche, but it's time for grilling, my friends.

Friday- Egg and chorizo tortillas.  Mmmmmmmm...  Green bean salad (marinated with white wine vinegar, some herbs, mustard, olive oil, salt, pepper).  Just a quick rant: I refuse to write EVOO, even though it's faster than writing out "olive oil."  "EVOO" is a catch phrase, and I will not be sucked into it. Darn you Rachel Ray and your trendy thing that everyone does!

Hey!  This is what we're doing right now.  Instead of dates.  Or eating out.  Or anything!  We're paying a baby sitter slave wages every week to watch our kids while we talk about money.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Meal Plan Monday

Monday- Veggie Lasagna and bread.

Tuesday- Youth group night.  Spicy chicken and rice casserole.  Have I already given you this recipe?  Already cooked chicken, sauteed onions, carrots, celery, brown rice, a can of pickled jalapenos including the "juice," and enough boiling water to make the correct amount when combined with the jalapeno "juice."  Put it all in a casserole dish big enough to hold it.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or an hour, until the rice is done.  Top with cheese.  Pop back in the oven until melty and bubbly.  I try not to cook with prepared foods, and in fact believe that when prepared foods are involved, it's not really cooking.  But this is so tasty!  If you wanted to use your own homemade pickled jalapenos, that would solve everything.  I'll get right on that for the next time...

Wednesday- Pasta with kalamata olives.  This recipe looks good, if I can scrounge up half a lemon before Wednesday. 

Thursday- Cauliflower and chick pea curry, coconut rice.  After reading this story.  I love you, NPR (Radio for smart people!(TM)  Honestly, who came up with the idea of a weekly comedy quiz show about the news?  Honestly!)

Friday- Baked Potato Nachos.  I wanted to say pizza, but sadly, my pizza stone broke.  It lasted for 8 years, but still!  I want to make pizza, and it just isn't the same without the crispness a properly heated pizza stone imparts.  Woe is me!  At least until I find forty bucks and a pampered chef salesperson.  (Is there a "First World Problems" hash tag?  There should be.  (I clearly do not understand twitting...))

I feel like there are too many parenthases in this post.  I'll remove some.
Still too many.   I removed 4 sets, though.  Umm...  Sorry.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Meal Plan Monday and a Garden Update

We got our plants on Friday!  This weekend the Hubby and I installed 2 Saskatoon bushes (to hide the compost bin and provide delicious berries in a few years) and 2 Red Haven peach trees.  I'm excited!  The pecan tree is still in a bucket, because it rained cats and dogs on Sunday, starting right about the time we tried to start putting the plants in.  Oh, and also we went on a date Sunday night, and it seemed like a good idea for the dirty ones to shower before we hit the theater.  Amazing date night!

On to what's cooking:
Monday- Cabbage stir-fry with udon noodles.  Pan fried tofu?

Tuesday- Black bean and chorizo soup.  Bread.

Wednesday- Pork Tacos.

Thursday- Butter chicken (with a spice mix from the Indian grocery store), salad, rice

Friday- Twice baked potatoes, roasted cauliflower

Monday, April 9, 2012

Meal Plan Monday

Monday- Ham and potato casserole.  Baked sweet potatoes.  Bread.  Cherry tomatoes.

Tuesday- Bean soup with greens, made with the ham bone.  Bread, if I get the house cleaned in time.  i tell you, having my parents in town for 4 days is a great time.  But by the time they leave, my living room is a disaster.

Wednesday- Chana Masalla.  You know, spicy chickpea curry as a detox from the ham.

Thursday- Pasta with broccoli and spicy sausage.  Because one day without a dead pig is enough.

Friday- Veggie fried rice, loaded with veggies.

What are you eating this week?

Monday, April 2, 2012

Meal Plan Monday

A girlfriend called me on Saturday and told me she assumed things were crazy here, as I have not posted menus in a few weeks.  And my phone subsequently died 2 minutes into the conversation.  Communication fail.  But then my husband bought me a new wireless router Saturday night, so I can get on the laptop again!  It's just so much harder to post a menu from the desktop.  Mostly because it leaves my back to the room, so the littles can destroy things while I type.

Don't I sound cranky?  I'm not really.  Not mostly.  Onward and upward! 

Monday- Risotto cakes topped with fried eggs. Broccoli salad. Fresh bread.
Last week I made the beet risotto from this book.  I LOVE the book, and have lent it to a half a dozen friends.  And the risotto was gorgeous: a beautiful carmine color, flecked through with bright bits of just-cooked greens.  However, I found it somewhat lacking.  The flavor was overly sweet, and a bit one-note for my taste.  Also, the texture ended up less creamy than a typical risotto.  But I used a lot of beets, and made a big batch, so I have lots of not-so-exciting leftover beet risotto.  I shall try to reincarnate it with more Parmesan and heavily salt-and-peppered olive oil fried eggs.  If it's still not delicious, I'll give up. 

Tuesday- Youth group night.  Per student request, we will have split pea soup again.

Wednesday- Stir fried cabbage with Chinese pork roast, served over rice. 

Thursday- Spaghetti and meatballs.  I'll be using the frozen meatballs I made last week.  Maybe a salad, but also possibly not.

Friday- Good Friday.  There's a service, and it's not at our church, so we need something grab-and-go for The Hubby.  Coleslaw and roast pork wraps. 
No, it's totally not the same thing as Wednesday.  Then the cabbage was cooked and the pork had a shiny ginger based glaze on it.  Today the cabbage is raw in a creamy dill flavored sauce and the pork is simply seasoned with wine and herbs.   Ok, I slow cooked one pork roast (white wine, bay leaves, whole peppercorns, salt, garlic, and onions), and this is the third incarnation.  The first was pork tacos with cilantro pesto and red peppers.  International pig!